Bitten
by bolognasandwiches
Summary: Alice Longbottom is in love with her best friend. James Potter is blind to not only her love, but her guilt over a tragic night that changed James' life forever.


**This is my first fic. Based off of a character of mine, Alice Augusta Longbottom, and Rowling's James Sirius Potter, with a twist. I do not own Harry Potter. **

**Please read and review! Let me know if you would like to see more of these two!**

I remember it like it was yesterday. The Potters were over for our weekly play date; something that had been a tradition for as long as I could remember. The only thing that ever changed was my feelings for the eldest Potter boy, James Sirius Potter.

We were twelve, nearly thirteen, and about to enter our third year. We had been friends since birth, as we were born within a week of one another and our parents were the best of friends. Our friendship had withstood the sands of time; through all of the childish fights, to my sorting into Hufflepuff and James' to Gryffindor. None of it changed the fact that we were best friends until the end, and that night it was no different.

Back then I still saw James as a friend, a brother, if you will. We were playing in my family's backyard, which was shrouded in plants (magical and non,) and expanded to a very large, very dark, and _very_ off limits forest. Being the competitive child I was, I told James he could never make it ten paces into the forest without getting scared. James, being the rebellious lad he was, could never turn down a challenge so before myself or any of our siblings could decide it was a bad idea, he was marching off into the forest with his chin in the air defiantly.

It was some time after supper, and the sun was setting fast. I thought James would have stopped after ten steps in but it seemed like he had just continued walking.

The forest was off limits. It was no Forbidden Forest, but we were young, and there was no telling who or what was inside waiting for a stupid child like one of us to wand in.

I tried to laugh off James' antics. "Alright, James, you proved your point, come back on out," I called into the dark trees.

No one responded.

I glanced down at my brothers and Lily and Albus, they were looking a bit nervous as well. While we had just broken a major rule, we may have all endangered James' life. _I_ may have endangered James' life.

My voice rose into a near panic suddenly. "James!" I called angrily. "Stop playing around! Come out _now!"_

A few more agonizing minutes passed and that's when I heard the scream.

It was horrifying. Someone in the woods was letting out an agonizing, blood curdling scream. Initially I was hit with terror for whatever it was. I was frozen. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was him. James was screaming. He was in trouble. Something or someone was hurting him.

As soon as this realization hit me, I took one giant step toward the forest but something was holding me back. Something held me in a firm grip around my waist. I began to panic. "James! James! Stop! No, James!" I shouted as I tore at the arms around me: my mother's.

The younger kids were crying now. That was when my father leapt pass us and into the forest, his wand out and at the ready as he charged on.

I broke out in a fit of sobs and went limp in my mother's arms. All I could manage was to choke out James' name between sobs. I kept crying and crying until everything was an entire blur. As I was losing consciousness I could see a figure walking out from the darkness, carrying something. And then I passed out.

I go back to that night once a month, every month, for the last four years. Tonight is one of those nights.

Of course James never thought differently about me. We're still the best of friends, just older now. We're in our seventh year. He doesn't blame me, but I still feel an incredible amount of guilt for what happened. While James is a rebellious prankster with a "devil may care" attitude, he is still one of the most selfless human beings I know.

Perhaps that is why I love him.

"I should have known you'd be here," came the smooth and deep voice of my best friend. I looked up at him. He was at the tom of the staircase I was sitting on in the entrance hall, our monthly meeting place.

I shrugged and gave him a sheepish half smile. It was hard to really smile on these nights.

"You never fail me, Al," James grinned at me as he descended the staircase.

I looked around. Everyone else had cleared out after supper. We were alone, as always. It was like everyone knew that this hall was reserved for only _us_ on these nights.

"Someone has to look after you," I said. James watched me for a moment. He could always tell when I was feeling upset.

"Hey," he said, extending a hand to help me up, which I took, only wanting to hold on longer after he let go. "How many times do I have to tell you, Longbottom?" He looked into my sad, grey eyes. "I'll be fine." His hands were holding my shoulders reassuringly and my heart was breaking.

I responded with only a forced half smile. Whether he could tell it was forced or not, I do not know. He was running out of time so we made our way to the double doors that led out to the grounds. He was about to push them open but stopped briefly to turn back to me.

"Make sure Sophie is alright for me, will ya, Al?" He asked me. Of course. I forgot about his new girlfriend.

I wanted to look away and cry. I couldn't, though. For the first time in a really long time, James had hurt in his eyes, which he tried to mask from me by flashing his famous grin. This only broke my heart more.

"Yeah," I nodded at him, finally averting my eyes. "I will."

James placed his strong, warm hand on my right shoulder and I could feel my poor heart beating so fast suddenly. "Thank you, Alice," he smiled at me, and I actually smiled back.

Finally, he opened the doors and stepped out into the dark night. After a few steps, he turned back to me to give me a wave and a reassuring wink. Once again, I forced a smile but I have a little wave back.

Then he continued walking and I continued watching, as the boy I loved disappeared. The boy who could never know I loved him, my best friend, walked off into the Forbidden Forest under the light of the full moon.


End file.
